Heel tap



Feb. 10, 1942. H. N. PEARsoN HEEL TAP Filed Feb. 7, 1938 Patented Feb. 10, 1942 UNITED 'STATES ,PATENT omai: p

Henry N. Pearson,. St. Louis, Mo.,

Pearson Heel Manuizacturing,rr jCompany, Louis, Mo'., a corporation of Missouri assigorL to st.

Application February 7, 193s, .serial Nonsense 6 claims. (C1. ssi- 42) f f I The present invention relates to shoe heels and, in particular, shoe heels having readily attachable and easily detachable wearing elements thereon.

A particular object therefore of the present invention is to provide a readily applicable wearing portion that also may readily be detached.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel element having a fixed attaching means whereby it may be attached to the shoe without any separate parts.

A further object of the invention is to provide a heel element for use in combination with a. molded heel.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a heel with the heel element in place;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly broken away of the heel with the heel element in place;

Fig. 3 is a broken vertical section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a top view of the heel element;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view thereof;

Fig. 6 is a section through a modified form of heel attaching plug; and,

Fig. 7 is a front View of the modiiied attached plug in place on the heel tap.

A heel member I is here shown as being of the molded type and made of one of the familiar substances of which molded articles are made, especially those of which phenolic-formaldehyde condensation products are representatives. It is understood that the present invention is applicable also to other types of heel members such as wood, leather, rubber, and so forth. 'Ihe present heel member is hollow having a front wall II, and side walls I2 and I3 that merge in a rear wall I4. Within the inner part of the wall I0 are transverse webs I that have nail receiving holes I6 therein. A central drive screw hole I1 may be provided if desired. The holes I6 and I1 receive nails or a screw to secure the heel member onto the shoe proper.

The lower part of this molded heel member has a bottom wall through which passes a plug receiving opening I8. The plug receiving opening has its forward edge I9 sloped at a suitable angle such as 45. The opening I8 is curved on its rear portion and at the back portion is sloped slightly at 20 in a direction to converge below the member I0 with the wall I9. The degree of slope may be very slight depending upon the nature of the material used.

A heel tap is shown at 22. This tap has a plug 23 thereon of the same general shape as the bottom Wallv opening of the heel proper. The forward partof the plug 23 is undercut as at 24 at an angle vcomplementary to the angle of the front edge I9 on the bottom wall of the heel. The rear portion is doubly slanted, theupper portion 25 being sloped inwardly of the heel member, and the lower portion 26 being sloped toward the center of the o-pening below the member I0. The juncture of the walls 25 and 26 provides a projecting edge 21 that may engage' into the material lof the member I0. The plug 23 is attached by nails, or the like, 28 to the tap 22, so as to be integral with the same. It may be of the same material as the tap, and formed together there.-

with.

In the modiiication shown in Figs. 6 and 7 the plug is designated 33 and is formed from a stamping. It is formed with a front edge 34, and a rear edge having two sloping portions 35 and 36 merging in an edge 31. Formed integrally with the plug and depending from the bottom thereof are prongs 38 that may be pressed or tapped into the heel tap 22 to secure the plug and tap together. This plug, being of thin material (sheet metal), is somewhat resilient.

In use the plug attached to the heel tap is inserted within the opening of the heel by first engaging thewall 24 over the front edge I9. The tap is then rocked into place which brings the rear wall portion the heel member III, and spreads the said wall by virtue of its resiliency until the edge 21 may pass into the opening and the tap 22 is properly located. The wall 20 springs back under the wall 21; or in the use of a resilient plug as 33, the edge 31 yields to pass over the projecting lowest part of the wall 20. In either case the edge 21 is securely maintained in position as is the heel element 22.

Extended tests have proved that the engagement between the plug and the heel is such that no external attaching means are required. Thus the taps may be initially applied very readily and may be replaced by being prized oi after they are worn down, and a new tap attached. No separate or removable attaching means are required, and no parts are liable to get out of order.

What is claimed is:

l. In a shoe heel construction, a heel member having an opening in the bottom thereof, opposite edges of said opening sloping downwardly and inwardly, a heel element, and a metal plug on said element, said plug having opposite edges undercut to be engageab-le with the edges of the 24 against the rear Wall 20 of heel member opening, said opposite edges of the plug being yieldable toward each other but normally urged away from each other, whereby the plug may be forced into the opening and will be iirmly secured therein by interengagement of said edges.

2. In a shoe heel construction, a heel element plug, said plug being formed from sheet metal, having two opposite edges sloping toward each other, said plug being attachable to a heel element with said walls flaring upwardly and outwardly therefrom, and a portion of the plug connecting said sloping edges for resilient resisted displacement toward each other.

S. A member and a heel element therefor, and interengaging means between the two, including a springable insertion device on one and an opening in the other to receive said device, said opening having a surface sloping inwardly and toward the point of engagement, and said insertion having a similarly sloping portion engaging over said edge portion, and means urging said sloping portion of said insertion outwardly along said surface.

4. A member and a heel element therefor, and interengaging means between the two, said means including an opening having opposed walls sloping upwardly and outwardly from the joining surfaces, and a device engageable in said opening, the device having opposed portions engageable with said sloping surfaces, and said portions being normally urged apart when in place within the opening, toward a position in which they are further apart than the space between the sloping surfaces.

5. In combination, a molded shoe heel having a chamber open at its lower end and provided with an abutment shoulder and an opposed retention recess, a heel-lift, an attachment clip secured to the lift, and a pair of opposed flanges on the clip respectively shaped for engagement with said shoulder and said recess for holding the lift and heel securely in assembled relation.

6. In combination, a shoe heel attaching member and a shoe heel receiving element, the attaching element having an insert and the receiving element having an insert receiving opening, the insert comprising an upper wall, and opposed walls extending downwardly and inwardly therefrom, means for attaching the insert to the attaching element with the upper wall spaced therefrom, the opposed walls being resistingly yieldable toward one another, and the walls of the opening having overhanging portions to receive the opposed walls of the insert, said overhanging portions being toward the entrance of the opening and the opening walls above said overhanging portions being more separated, whereby said insertmay be projected into the opening, passed over the overhanging walls by yielding of the opposed walls of the insert, and be retained in the opening.

HENRY N. PEARSON. 

